Whit Merrifield

Lore & Background

Merrifield graduated from Davie County High School in Mocksville, North Carolina, and played college baseball for the South Carolina Gamecocks from 2008 to 2010. He hit a game-winning RBI single in the 2010 College World Series championship. The Royals selected him in the ninth round of the 2010 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut on May 18, 2016, and later led the majors in hits and stolen bases in 2018. He played in a franchise-record 553 consecutive games for the Royals. He was traded to the Blue Jays on July 29, 2022, and later played for the Phillies and Braves. He last played in 2024 and is not officially retired.

In Their Own Story

The lights at Kauffman Stadium hummed their low, electric buzz as the seventh-inning stretch crowd thinned to a scattered handful of families and die-hards. Merrifield stood in the hole, glove low, eyes tracking the pitcher's release. The ball came in hard, a 92-mph grounder aimed at his left side. He lunged, the leather snapped around the ball, and he fired to first before the runner's foot cleared the bag. The first baseman caught it, tagged the base, and the out was up. Merrifield didn't celebrate. He just adjusted his cap, looked up at the empty upper deck where the 2015 banner still hung, and got back in the hole for the next pitch. The scoreboard clock read 7:42 PM. The game was 2-1, and the night still had legs.

Reader's Guide

Merrifield played second base and outfield. He was a contact hitter with speed, leading the AL in stolen bases three times. He also led the majors in doubles in 2021 and won a Fielding Bible Award for defense at second base.

Did You Know?

• Merrifield set a South Carolina Gamecocks record with a 26-game hitting streak in 2010.
• He led the American League in stolen bases in 2017 with 34, the fewest for a league leader since 1962.
• Merrifield was the only qualified batter in MLB in 2022 who was not hit by a pitch all year.
• His father, Bill Merrifield, was a phantom ballplayer for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1987.